Chapter 45: Can You Go Light Some Incense Before You Leave?
"Orochimaru..."
In Konoha, inside the Root Base, Danzo Shimura looked at the reply in his hand, practically gritting his teeth.
Ever since being ambushed by the Mysterious Person suspected to be an Uchiha, he had been desperate for answers from Orochimaru.
After all, that incident had truly caused him severe losses!
Not only were his secrets leaked and a chunk of flesh sliced from his arm, but Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo was also lost.
More importantly, his Root had been downsized by Hiruzen Sarutobi because of this!
That was the Root he had spent countless efforts to reorganize after nearly being wiped out by Hanzou in the Land of Rain...
Every time he thought of this, his heart bled!
However, Orochimaru didn't give him the time of day. If it was related to experiments, Orochimaru would talk.
But as soon as it involved that Mysterious Organization, Orochimaru would start being evasive, only to follow up by asking for research funds...
After all this time, he hadn't obtained a single piece of useful information!
"Damn fellow. Since you're acting like this, don't blame this old man for using some methods on you."
Danzo took a deep breath, trying his best to suppress the rage in his heart.
He knew that Orochimaru's current situation wasn't great.
Another inexplicably powerful person had emerged in the Ninja World, someone strong enough to almost instantly take down Orochimaru and Sasori of the Red Sand!
To be honest, Danzo was quite shocked when he received this news.
What shocked him even more was that he couldn't find any information on this person at all!
"I might not be able to find him, but I can find you..."
Danzo's fingers lightly tapped the desk. Although Orochimaru hid well, he could still find him.
Besides, using the investigation of the Mysterious Person as a pretext to have the Anbu search for Orochimaru was a perfectly reasonable excuse!
"After all, you're probably the only one who knows about the 'Asura's Chakra' that the Mysterious Person mentioned..."
Thinking of this, Danzo finally made up his mind!
This would serve as a warning to Orochimaru, especially since Orochimaru wasn't providing information despite taking so much of his money...
If he just endured it, he wouldn't be Danzo!
As for Orochimaru's safety, he truly wasn't worried.
That guy was really good at running away and was incredibly hard to kill...
...
"Kakashi Senior, what is it this time?"
Inside the Hokage Building, Hyuga Makoto looked at Kakashi beside him with a strange expression.
"Why the rush? Weren't we supposed to be monitoring and investigating that guy?"
"I don't know either; it's a temporary notice."
Kakashi looked at Hyuga Makoto with his dead-fish eyes and whispered a reminder.
"Also, while on duty, we should use our codenames..."
"Oh..."
Hyuga Makoto nodded with a strange look. He had originally wanted to talk to Hyuga Hiashi about the Caged Bird Seal, but then he was suddenly called away by several Anbu colleagues.
But on second thought, he felt this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Giving Hyuga Hiashi more time to consider might actually be better.
Normally, he wouldn't really have any objections.
"At most, he'd ask me to limit the number of people. After all, those old fogies in the Main House haven't all died out yet."
If Hyuga Hiashi did object...
It wouldn't be a big deal!
Anyway, Hyuga Makoto wasn't afraid of the Caged Bird Seal at all, and he could just throw the problem back at Konoha.
"The Yin Seal was given by the Village, and it was the Hokage who gave me the hint..."
If you've got the guts, go take it up with the Hokage and Konoha!
However, the most likely outcome was that before they even stepped out the door, it would already be a case of 'Why is the Main House rebelling against the Village?'...
"You're here?"
Thinking happily to himself, Hyuga Makoto followed Kakashi into the Hokage Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was smoking his pipe while reading documents. He didn't stand on ceremony when he saw the two enter.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your time off, but there's a mission that requires your action."
"Hokage-sama, are we leaving the Village again?"
Hyuga Makoto blinked and instinctively turned to look at Kakashi.
This made Kakashi's dead-fish eyes roll even harder and left Hiruzen Sarutobi feeling somewhat helpless.
"The matter is urgent. I've thought about it for a long time and ultimately felt it's best to leave it to you."
"Hokage-sama, what is the mission?"
Kakashi spoke up; he was quite serious when it came to missions.
"Is it... Orochimaru again?"
"Yes, exactly."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and spoke in a low voice with his pipe in his mouth.
"According to intelligence, there are traces of someone suspected to be Orochimaru in the Land of Rice Fields. Since you've had the most contact with him, I've decided to assign this mission to you."
"I see..."
Kakashi nodded silently, his peripheral vision involuntarily sweeping over Hyuga Makoto.
They certainly had the most contact with Orochimaru; they had run into him twice in a row during just two trips out of the Village!
This kind of situation was truly one of a kind...
Shaking his head, Kakashi couldn't be bothered to dwell on such things and immediately asked,
"Then, what about the team configuration for this time? How should we choose?"
"The same as before."
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't hesitate and gave his answer directly.
"At the same time, I've already contacted Jiraiya. He's in the Land of Hot Springs and has already set out ahead of time."
There was still no resolution regarding Uchiha Itachi's situation. On the surface, he was still the bridge between Konoha and the Uchiha.
That being the case, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't intend to alert the enemy; keeping things as they were was the best choice!
Of course, he was also worried about accidents, so he specifically had someone contact Jiraiya.
Hiruzen Sarutobi also had quite a headache over Jiraiya.
After Orochimaru's defection, his remaining two Disciples couldn't exactly be called model students; they were more like a pair given to womanizing and gambling...
But unfortunately, in this era where Konoha was facing a shortage of talent, they truly were the pillars of the Village.
"I think I understand what Hokage-sama means."
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was feeling a bit gloomy, Hyuga Makoto suddenly spoke up.
This left Kakashi with a strange look on his face, and even Hiruzen Sarutobi was momentarily stunned.
"Makoto, what are your thoughts this time..."
"Hokage-sama, having Uchiha Itachi act with us is truly an excellent decision."
Hyuga Makoto rubbed his chin and spoke with a serious expression.
"Not only does it avoid alerting the enemy, but since we're investigating Orochimaru, we can also test if the person behind him will take action!"
"Exactly."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly; that really was his thinking.
"After all, that fellow is also a member of the Mysterious Organization. If he makes a move, we can confirm more things!"
"Yeah, I suppose that's also why Hokage-sama called for Jiraiya-sama."
Hyuga Makoto said with great emotion, but his words made Hiruzen Sarutobi pause.
Didn't I call Jiraiya over to protect your safety?
But before he could speak, Hyuga Makoto continued.
"Orochimaru was badly injured last time, and our appearance alongside Jiraiya will force them to make a choice!"
...
"If the Mysterious Person acts, they'll be exposed before our eyes. If they choose to endure, it will sow division within the Mysterious Organization!"
...
"In... Hokage-sama's wisdom is profound!"
...
Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat silent with his pipe in his mouth, with only one thought in his head.
Is it really my idea to be this sinister?
Why does it feel so much like that bastard Danzo's style, or even the decisions my teacher used to make?
However, he didn't feel like dwelling on it now and could only nod 'firmly'.
"Yes, exactly. Time waits for no one, so you two should get moving."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Hyuga Makoto and Kakashi didn't waste any words; the two of them gave a salute and prepared to depart.
"Wait a moment."
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly spoke up.
"I have a suggestion that I hope you'll consider."
"Hokage-sama, please speak."
"Before you leave, could you go light some incense?"
"I really don't mean anything else by it; I just simply hope you can return safely..."
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